AS I SEE IT 2/23: A legend comes to PWBTS, news on ROH's loaded 3/13 show

by: Bob Magee
First, PWBTS adds another well-known columnist, as noted wrestling legend Dory Funk brings his "In Funk's Corner" column to the flagship site of PWBTS.com. The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion's column had previously been run on 1wrestling.com for several years.

PWBTS and its staff welcome Dory Funk, and look forward to his classic wrestling stories and news regarding his Florida-based wrestling promotion appearing regularly on the site.

As I mentioned last week, the March 13/14 weekend will be noted for events beyond Wrestlemania and the related WWE events. Along with the FANSLAM convention in Totowa, NJ that I mentioned last week (which you can find information on here), there is a major wrestling show on March 13th with fans already scheduled to attend from as far away as the United Kingdom, preceded by an afternoon showcase of independent wrestling talent from all over the United States and Canada.

Ring Of Honor returns to the Rex Plex in Elizabeth, NJ on March 13 with a 7:30 pm belltime for the much anticipated Do and Die II Convention and Convention show to include featuring Roddy Piper, the ROH east coast debuts of a number of remarkable talents....and an evening show loaded to the gills.

Lineups

Convention/Convention Show

Here is the full schedule for March 13th.

12 noon to 2:00 pm: Question & Answer Session With the legendary "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Ask Piper any questions you want and hear him give all his views of the wrestling business. There is no telling what's going to be said here. Admission is $15.

2:00 pm belltime- The "Do Or Die II" Convention show will see the best talent from all over the country representing the top indy groups in quality bouts.

IWA Mid-South Wrestling's Danny Daniels and Brad Bradley

NWA Florida's Roderick Strong, Jerelle Clark, and Steve Madison

Calgary's Harry Smith (replacing Josh Daniels who is on a ZERO-ONE Japan tour)

PCW/Dallas's Jared Steele

NWA-Wildside's Sal Rinauro (Mellow in Special K) and Todd Sexton

NWA Midwest X Division Champion Austin Aries

Two matches announced for the afternoon show:

Super Dragon vs. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Excalibur

Six Man Mayhem bout with participants to be announced. Tickets are only $5 (fans that have purchased front, 2nd or 3rd row tickets to the night show get in for free).

Transportation

Mass TransitNJ Transit's Northeast Corridor train line from Manhattan has a stop at Newark Airport. Walk up off the train to the entrance for the Air Train (a shuttle train around the airport) through Newark Liberty Airport.

Take the Air Train to the stop for Terminal A. Walk to ground level and look for the bus stop outside, where the New Jersey Transit #62 bus goes directly to Ikea/RexPlex from Terminal A at the Airport and at South Airport Road and Federal Express Drive (wherever that is).

Fans will be able to travel back to Manhattan after the show, as NJ Transit buses leave Rex Plex (look at the stop on the schedule marked IKEA, which is across the street from the Rex Plex) at 10:44 pm and 11:39 pm on Saturdays. You can either go through the Airport as listed above, or take the #62 bus all the way in to Newark's Penn Station, and make connections to Manhattan.

Bus trips

New York

New York City fans can travel to the show via WrestlingBusTrips.com for a trip combining Scramble Cage II and the Convention. More details soon. For information, e-mail AGENTCLPT@aol.com

Boston

Fans from Boston, Providence and Connecticut can travel to the show via Pro Wrestling Tours.

Metropolitan Wrestling Tours will take fans from the Baltimore/Washington and Philadelphia areas. The price for round trip service to and from the show, along with tickets to the pre-show convention and convention card, and General Admission tickets to the massive pre-Wrestlemania Ring of Honor show is a grand total of $75 ($60 from the Baltimore bus stop).

The trip will leave the Washington area at 8:30 am from the parking lot of Outback Steakhouse at Prince George’s Plaza, located at 3500 East-West Highway (MD-410) Hyattsville, Maryland.

For those wishing to use Metro to this pickup location, the Prince George’s Plaza stop on the Green line is only 10 seconds away from the departure point. Also, covered, secured free parking is located at the Metro parking garage at the Prince George’s Plaza station.

The Baltimore area pickup point will leave at 9:30 am, from the Baltimore Travel Plaza, located at 5625 O'Donnell St. in eastern Baltimore.

Philadelphia fans will leave at 11:00 am from the Murphy Recreation Center former Philadelphia home of Ring of Honor, located at 4th and Shunk Streets in south Philadelphia.

For $45, Philly area fans get the opportunity to jump aboard a trip on a luxury bus with comfortable seating and restrooms available, viewing arguably the greatest matches in Ring of Honor history.

For information and reservations, e-mail MarcNova21@verizon.net or feel free to AIM MarcusKDowling for more information.

Driving directions

For those in the region driving to the show, the Rex Plex is directly next to the Elizabeth, NJ Ikea superstore seen in the graphic.

Here are more detailed directions:

New York City:Take the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey and follow NJ Route 495 to the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 16E. Then, take the New Jersey Turnpike southbound, until you reach Exit 13A (Elizabeth/Elizabeth Seaport/Newark Airport).

Get off the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 13A, and follow signs for Ikea (Center) Drive-Elizabeth Seaport. As you follow these signs you will be crossing over the Turnpike, and continue traveling on this road until you see the signs for Ikea, Toys R Us and RexPlex. Make a left onto this road (Ikea/Center Drive). Follow this road around until you see Toys R Us on your left, Ikea ahead of you and RexPlex (red building) on right. Park in front of the building.

From Western New Jersey:Take I-78 East, US 22 East or 24 East. Follow the Newark Airport and US 1/9 signs. At Newark Airport, follow the US 1/9 signs south to Elizabeth/North Avenue East/Seaport. Follow signs to Seaport and Ikea.

From Northern New Jersey/directions 1: Follow Garden State Parkway south until Union Tolls. Follow I-78 East to Newark Airport, then take US 1/9 South to Elizabeth/North Avenue East/Seaport. Follow signs to Seaport and Ikea.

From Northern New Jersey/directions 2:An alternative is to take Route 17 South to I-80 East to New Jersey Turnpike.

Get off at Exit 13A, and follow sign for Ikea (Center) Drive-Elizabeth Seaport. As you follow these signs you will be crossing over the Turnpike. Continue traveling on this road until you see the signs for Ikea, Toys 'R Us and RexPlex.

Make a left onto this road (Ikea/Center Drive). Follow this road around until you see Toys R Us on your left, Ikea ahead of you and RexPlex (red building) on right. Park in front of the building.

From South Jersey:Take the New Jersey Turnpike northbound to Exit 13A.

Get off the Turnpike at Exit 13A, and follow sign for Ikea (Center) Drive-Elizabeth Seaport.

As you follow these signs, you will be crossing over the Turnpike. Continue traveling on this road until you see the signs for Ikea, Toys R Us and RexPlex.

Make a left onto this road (Ikea/Center Drive). Follow this road around until you see Toys R Us on your left, Ikea ahead of you and RexPlex (red building) on right. Park in front of the building.

From Newark Airport:The Rex Plex is across the New Jersey Turnpike from Newark Airport. Take either a taxi or the New Jersey Transit #62 bus to Ikea/RexPlex.

From Brooklyn and South Shore Long Island:Take the Belt Parkway to Verrazano Bridge (Staten Island) to the Goethals Bridge into NJ.

Take the exit from the Goethals Bridge onto the New Jersey Turnpike and go one exit north to Exit 13A.

Get off at Exit 13A, and follow sign for Ikea (Center) Drive-Elizabeth Seaport. As you follow these signs you will be crossing over the Turnpike, and continue traveling on this road until you see the signs for Ikea, Toys R Us and RexPlex.

Make a left onto this road (Ikea/Center Drive). Follow this road around until you see Toys R Us on your left, Ikea ahead of you and RexPlex (red building) on right. Park in front of the building.

From The Bronx, Queens, and North Shore Long Island:Take the Throgs Neck or Triboro Bridge to the George Washington Bridge to the NJ Turnpike southbound to Exit 13A.

Get off at Exit 13A, and follow sign for Ikea (Center) Drive-Elizabeth Seaport. As you follow these signs you will be crossing over the Turnpike, and continue traveling on this road until you see the signs for Ikea, Toys R Us and RexPlex.

Make a left onto this road (Ikea/Center Drive). Follow this road around until you see Toys R Us on your left, Ikea ahead of you and RexPlex (red building) on right. Park in front of the building.

For information on the venue, you can go to the Rex Plex website at Rexplex.com.

Then....if the March 13th Ring of Honor event hadn't already been interesting enough...last Tuesday, Teddy Hart has sent out a statement that he was "showing up for the March 13th Ring of Honor show 'invited or not'". In a statement sent out to wrestling websites Hart said "...it has been brought to my attention, through my booking agent, that Harry Smith and Jack Evans have been booked to compete on [March 13th] ... I have tried, through my booking agent, to work with Rob and Gabe to negotiate my return to ROH along with Jack and Harry. Since Rob and Gabe have not returned any of my agents phone calls, I have taken it upon myself to book a plane ticket and will be at that event, even if I have to buy a ticket and walk through the front door."

Needless to say, as you've seen above, this whole mess from last November has now turned into an involved work as Hart is now in the six-man scramble event on March 13. It seems that young Mr. Hart fancies himself the second coming of Brian Pillman's "loose cannon" character. From my perspective, Teddy Hart couldn't (yet, anyway) carry Brian Pillman's jockstrap. Five years from now, it may be a different story...if Teddy Hart learns to have 10% of the respect and professionalism that his family members had for the wrestling business. But not today...and not March 13.

In any event, it seems pretty clear that March 13 won't be boring for wrestling fans...and what's the most interesting will have nothing to do with any WWE events over in midtown Manhattan.

Until next time...

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If you have comments/questions, or if you'd like to add the AS I SEE IT
column to your website, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)